Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-02-27
THE WARS GREAT EDITORS.
The Influence in Molding Public
Sentiment in Those Days.

NEW YORK, Feb. 26.-lu a recent
Island Gen. Sherman repeated his WELL
worn glorfcation OF the half.dozen Gen.
erals to whom we owe the salvation OF the
Union. In a recent NUMBER OF the North
American Review Dom Piatt, who is
anything but q worshiper of military
heroes, and who maintains that the Seen
erals" have exaggeI Their own i'm
portance as Union-savers, held up the
great tuncti0narles OF state to whom. as
he argued, the overthrow OF the COnfed-
eracy was largely due-men ike Seward,
who managed the intricate diplomacy OF
the secession years and preveni ed foreign
intervention; or like Chase, wnO gave us
the financial system which promoted the
national success; or like Stanton, VINO
did the great Office work OF the War De
partment; or, abuye all, like Abraham
Lincoln, whose cautious TEMPER ana I'M
yielding resolution played so large a
part in the administration of affairs.
Dom Piatt would give the GROWING hon.
ors to these directing ciVlllans rather
than to the Generals who merely ''set the
| squadrons in the field" and hurled upon
the South the mighty forces whose SUI
preme control vas In other hands.
All well, Messrs. Sherman and Piatt!
all we'll.
But there is yet another class of men
beside Generals and functonaries OF
State where immense services during the
secession era must not be forgotten.
refer to that small array of able and
energetic men who then welded tue
powers OF the public press, and thereby
reached those primal fountains from
which sprang armies, treasures, cabl-
nets, the heroic spirit itself. | speak at
this moment OF only a few of the great
editors CT this city whose influence in
moldiDg public sentiment aud governing
public action, amid the clash of arms,
has too long been cbscured by the glitter
OF steel and the pomp OF otficialism, Let
any one whose memory runs back quar-
ter OF century recall the work thai was
done between 1861 and 1865, between che
cannon shot at Sumter and the surrender
at Appomattox, BY such men as the Elder
Bennett, of the Herald; Raymond, OF the
Times; Greeley, of the Tribune; Bryant,
OF the Post, in energlZing the popular
mind, calling out the public resources,
filling the armies and queiling the opp0-
sition! The services of James GOrQon
Bennett were so well appreciated that
President Lincoln recognized them by
offering him the mission to France, which
Mr.. Bennett declined. The services of
episodes of Bull Run ana Niagara Falls,
gave his paper power not easily over
rated. The indnmitable purpose, re
sounding appeals and critical rigor o
William Cullen Bryant were felt through
| the whole country. The infisxible reao-
luton and steady energy of Henry j..
| Raymond, with whom was ass uciated at
| thaL time, until his death, made MN at
once a pervasive force in the community
nsnI oil aAff ot nj
! affairs, even Lincoln and Seward. 1 re-
member his conduct in the cloudy hours
of the war. 1 recall his unqualling front
| in the days OF Fredericksburg, Chancal-
| iorsville and Cold Harbor; 1 hear again
| the trumpet OF the Times. when Gen.
| Lee was advancing upon Pennsylvania,
| giving notice that even a Confederate
| victory there. or the capture OF Wash
| ington itself, would not be the end of the
| war, but merely its beginning. | recall,
| amid a hundred incidents, the change
| less spirit of this accomplished gentle
man, who well merited Old Blucher's
tile Of STEADY"
What mighty engine the press was at
| that time. | am sure that It's influence
| cannot be comprehended by any but those
who handled its enginery, felt the i'm
pulses that controlled it and watched its
sweep. Generals rose or tell; fields were
lost or won; the Treasury looked strons
or weak; foreign insolence was dreaded
or defied; the Cabinet was changed once
and again; but through all those years
the leading press OF New York, which
was then controlled by master minds,
stood like the rock of the Union.
Let our Generals have all the praises
they deserve; let our administrator e
officials be duly honored; but let us not
he overhasty in conslgnIng to oblivion the
stout-hearted editors, here and elsewhere,
10 whom the country owes so much.
J0uN SxyTNTnN